May 29-- The political newcomer who almost unseated a veteran state legislator in the May 20 Republican primary election is looking at another run two years from now.

Former Navy SEAL Lee Burton of Vidalia only lost to State Representative Greg Morris of Vidalia by 71 votes.

"I was happy about it just because it's my first foray into the political arena. I really didn't know what to expect. I knew I wasn't dealing with the same amounts of money, so I had to work different strategies and get out there amongst the people," he said.

House District 156 includes all of Toombs and Montgomery counties and parts of Appling and Jeff Davis counties.

Burton beat Morris by 144 votes in Toombs County and by 138 votes in Montgomery County. The big difference was in Appling County where he lost to Morris by 266 votes and in Jeff Davis county where he had an 87 vote deficit.

Burton says his next campaign will focus more on the southern part of the district and will include more appearances before groups. He also found out after the campaign that his direct mail ads did not include people in Appling and Jeff Davis counties.

"I was impressed with the way things turned out. The people came out and did their part. I wanted to get people involved in their politics. I'd like to see more people get involved, but the positive reaction was a plus in my political career and I'm looking forward to two years from now," he said.